A look of startled dismay peeped out of Erica’s sea-blue eyes as she listened to these plans being made for her, and her lips parted involuntarily as if to protest. Then with a glance at Aunt Charity’s pale face on the pillow, with that new, relieved little smile hovering about her mouth, she resolutely swallowed the words she had been about to utter, and sat silent, staring at the carpeted floor unseeingly. This was no time to trouble poor Aunt Charity; and certainly Aunt Callie was doing the best she could in stretching her none-too-large house to accommodate all the extra guests who had unexpectedly descended upon it in the past year. And her plan seemed the only practicable solution. “You—you’re awfully good to us, Aunt Callie,” she forced herself to say, though a bit tremulously. “I promise I’ll do all I can to make it up to you.” And so, all in a minute, the new plan was decided on, and the old familiar life she had known up to now was changed beyond recall. Ordinarily, of course, Erica would have found nothing to regret or dread in the idea of living in the same house with Aunt Callie and Lis, but the presence of Milly as a member of that household, and to have to share her room with her—and Erica had never had a room-mate before—was not so pleasant a prospect. Dr. Spencer’s prediction that Sara Gardiner would jump at the chance to acquire Miss Charity’s house was a true one. Indeed, so eager was she to move in as speedily as possible, that the end of the following week saw Miss Charity and Erica duly installed in their new home, and the old gray house next door occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Ned Wills—Mrs. Wills being the married name of Sara Gardiner. Somewhat to Erica’s surprise, Milly was unusually gracious about the new plan. She did not show by so much as a look that she resented—if she did resent it—having a room-mate thrust upon her unexpectedly. She cleared out half of the big wardrobe, without being asked, for Erica’s clothes, and moved the deepest and most comfortable chair over to the latter’s side of the room. Altogether Milly seemed a changed girl, quite suddenly. She did not sulk in corners now, though she continued to be, as always, a voracious reader when not busy with the various household duties that were her share. Erica noticed, too, that Milly appeared to be rather mysteriously excited about something—she went about the house with a most novel air of importance, and Erica came on her whispering with Lis once or twice, both of them evidently highly elated, and so absorbed in their topic of conversation they didn’t notice Erica’s presence in the room.